自然杂志 ›› 2016, Vol. 38 ›› Issue (1): 1-7.doi: 10.3969/j.issn.0253-9608.2016.01.001

• 特约专稿 •    下一篇

探索火星环境和生命

林杨挺   

  1. 中国科学院地质与地球物理研究所地球与行星物理重点实验室,北京 100029
  • 收稿日期:2015-11-11 出版日期:2016-02-25 发布日期:2016-02-23
  • 作者简介:通信作者,国家杰出青年科学基金获得者,研究方向:陨石中的太阳系外物质与恒星演化。

Exploration of paleoclimate and possible life on Mars

LIN Yangting   

  1. Key Laboratory of Earth and Planetary Physics, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
  • Received:2015-11-11 Online:2016-02-25 Published:2016-02-23

摘要:

 火星最有可能孕育出地外生命,是人类未来实现太空移民的首选星球。水是生命不可或缺的要素之一,是寻找火星生 命的关键线索;同时,水又是影响岩浆活动和构造运动的主要因素,是联系火星内部活动与表生环境演化的纽带。大量的火 星探测结果揭示了火星古环境的演化历史,从约35亿年前曾存在河流湖泊演变为现代寒冷干燥的地表。火星陨石是目前唯 一获得的火星岩石样品,既携带了火星岩浆活动的信息,又通过与水相互作用,记录了火星的环境演化。其中,中国的南极 火星陨石提供了1.9亿年前火星存在地下水活动的证据,而另一个新降落的火星陨石保存了可能与生命活动相关的有机质。

关键词: 火星, 陨石, 古气候, 生命, 深空探测

Abstract:

 Mars is the most promising planet where life may have emerged outside the Earth. It is the best candidate planet to immigrate in the future. Water is an essential constituent of life, which is the key clue of searching for life on Mars. Meanwhile, water plays an important role in magmatism and tectonic activity, connecting the interior processes and the climate evolution of Mars. Numerous Mars exploration missions have uncovered the paleoclimate history, evolving from the existence of fluvial water ~3.5 billion years ago to the present cool and dry surface. Martian meteorites are the only available rock samples from Mars, carrying the information of the magmatism and the paleoclimate evolution via rock-water reaction on Mars. Evidence for the presence of groundwater on Mars ~190 million years ago was found in the Martian meteorite collected by the Chinese Antarctica Expedition, and possible life-related organic matter was discovered in the recent Tissint Martian meteorite fall.

Key words:  , Mars, meteorite, paleoclimate, life, deep space exploration